Atlanta's apples
by neurofeces
Summary: No matter how beautiful the planet was, it was still a stinking ball of waste, filled with toxins, and poisons that made the most simple things difficult...and what was most annoying of all was that those accursed humans wouldn't stop laughing about it ei


Be grateful. I finished this fic instead of working on my Psychology report this past weekend. BE GRATEFUL I SAY! (grin)

Um…yeah…shame on me. I'm a slacker.

Hi people. Yep it's another one of those Neurofeces one-shots. (chuckles) Um no, no sex-ed this time. I'm just finally getting up my Lafayel fic. Yeah…for a dead guy, he needs a little more publicity you know? (Looks nervously around for 'control' readers who are laughing hysterically at various mental images of Lafayel drinking chocolate milk or something)

Um yeah. I've had parts of this since I was still running off wordpad on my old eighties laptop. Yeah. I've had about half of this done (Up the 'first star' part I believe) since about August…well…sort of. You see I had the basic concept behind this all done up and nice, and was planning on posting it, but I lost the original in the transfer to my new laptop. (I was really pissed—my LJ readers probably remember that, I was WHINING about it non-stop for, I think, about a week!) But I kinda like the new version. I kept Lafayel a little more caustic and in-character (It's so refreshing to write someone who acts so nasty after all the angsty kindness and the sort of 'it's my niceness itself that makes this so hard' tone of "control")

I don't really think it's shounan-ai (I mean, hey, it's Lafayel. He's pretty hard to live with most of the time.) I guess it's up to your preferences, if you want it to be shounan-ai, it's shounan-ai. If you don't it's not. I see it as being a non-shounan-ai personally, but the pairing's not too bad either in my opinion. I'm a middle of the fence I guess.

Though really, I don't feel too strongly about anything, not even TXT. I mean, I won't murder anyone for making it father/son as long as they make it believable. I mean, they're nice with each other either way.

The only things I really don't like (Uh oh, prepare thineself—OPINION!) Um… well…I'm really not fond of Itsuki/Kaname…but that's probably because I don't see much depth to Kaname's character in the manga (I mean basically he's there because Mana likes him, and he protects her and even _I_ can't seem to create character depth for him—Kaname is my problem character for whatever reason, everyone else I can seem to write, but I'm never satisfied when I have to portray Kaname. (frown)), Also, Er…I can see Gabriel/Tsukasa, and I've seen a decent one around here somewhere (I think?) But they're kinda split up at the moment so it's a little harder to do what with the separate mindbreakers and all…I don't really think it works out too well simply because of the distance between them (but I'm biased of course, because I happen to prefer TXT and Gabriel/Kuro, so that's probably just my preferences getting in the way)

Heck, I see weird pairings, so don't take me too seriously or anything—I mean, I got ideas for Lafayel/Israfel (yay for love/hate relationships, it works in the instances I thought of, basically just because Lafayel dies in the end and all…Um…I'll probably never actually post the one I thought of though…it's rather embarrassing now that I think of it), Tsukasa/Mana—um…warning! that one I might do a fic for—one sided of course, it's just really…cute…and it would be easy to keep Tsukasa IC for. Plus it works with the 'mindbreaker' thing, like an irresistible draw to the mindbreaker no matter what…bwahahaa. And of course, I love to torture Tsukasa for whatever sadistic reason of mine. (hey, he's just so angsty anyway in the series! That and I'm kinda Mizunagi-ish. I just love to provoke the fangirls and see what I can get away with bwahahaaa.), and even things like Shiba/Itsuki (though that one's harder because Shiba's such an obviously hetero character and he really doesn't like Itsuki much. It _could_ work though, but it's a lot harder to do considering that Itsuki seems to like Mana too…and just making him Bi is too easy of a solution if you're into uselessly complicating things the way I am (nervous grin))

Oh dear…I'm doing it AGAIN! (bangs head against wall) I SWORE I wasn't going to ramble in this. ACH!

Someone hit me!

Lafayel: with pleasure.

NF: Hey! Not you now, I finally got this up for you, you'd better be good for now. I'm being nice to you at the moment. You get publicity here and in C8's dream scene, so no hitting for you.

Mizunagi: I can do it though…

NF: (sweatdrop) ummmm….(eyes the noodle in his hand) I think I'm going to go scream like a little girl now. EEEEK! (runs for her life)

Mizunagi: Now…(sits down and grabs some popcorn) Lets see what she did to us.

Lafayel: I get to kill her first (arms crossed and scowling as he begins to read)

**-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-**

"_What a man misses most in heaven, is company"-Mark Twain_

"_Hunger does not breed reform; it breeds madness, and all the ugly distempers that make an ordered life impossible"-Woodrow Wilson_

-**o-O-o-O-o-O-o-**

**Atlanta's Apples**

**-Neurofeces**

Lafayel crouched on the edge of the roof, in a seething, black mood.

'how DARE they laugh at me!' he thought to himself, smoldering.

'How dare they even attempt to mock me!'

He glared off behind his shoulder in the direction of his 'mockers' 'idiot humans, I'll be grateful when someone kills them all'

His stomach growled angrily at him. He was _hungry_. No, beyond hungry! He was starving!

He took in another breath of air and nearly gagged. He could _taste_ the chemicals in this air. It was enough to make anyone want to cough and hold their nose if they could so much as _smell_ them! Such dirty air! Humans could ruin the simplest things with their idiocy!

He couldn't even take a mouthful of water without spitting it out. Or a breath without wanting to choke.

He HATED this place.

The water, the air, even the food! It was all poison! He couldn't take a bite of food without feeling nauseous.

He scowled, his teeth a lethal white against his thin lips. He furled his wings, flexing them absentmindedly. The weather was warm, but the baking concrete below created rises of hot air, thermals that were perfect for flying. There would be very little energy wasted on flapping…but he had to save his energy, because he was becoming tired. He hadn't eaten in a long time, and with his fast metabolism, that was starting to become rather dangerous…

He could literally starve to death within another few days. It was a depressing thought…or was it? To die would mean he would be free…wouldn't it?

His master instantly cast this thought from his mind, she probably wasn't even paying attention to most of his thoughts, so it didn't anger him as much as it could have. The moody frustration in his head stayed nonetheless. His broodiness became a touch more cautious with the knowledge that his master could see what was in his mind. He felt her move on soon enough. She had better things to do than look into the head of a bitter fallen angel and listen to him complain about the planet she had lived on all her life.

He let out an angry huff of breath, glaring at the distant streets below a bit more thoughtfully.

His powers were suffering minimally so far, but he couldn't keep this up forever. It was a strain to keep this fact from a mindbreaker who could read your every thought that your powers were slipping because of lack of food and water, and even rest.

The stench of the city at night, the utter NOISE was enough to make him restless, unable to sleep for even the few short hours he required.

Earth was as good of a Hell as any for an Eraser.

The planet was beautiful in some ways, he had to admit that. Grass was so green it made him squint blindly. And the sky…he'd never seen a blue sky before. It felt unnatural not to be able to see the stars…like he was under a great blue glass dome rather than an actual sky…unnatural to have such a pale sky, beautiful though it was…

Earth was strange, the very presence of plants for decoration was a thing that wasn't done by Erasers. Food was grown in special areas of a ship, but there wasn't space to be wasted for something aesthetically pleasing, even if you wanted to go to the trouble to go near and look at the _plants _in their little cubicles near the fusion generators, in the hellish slightly radioactive setting.

The concept of separate rooms to sleep in was equally strange. It was borderline stupid in a time of war, according to Lafayel's rationale. To sleep in a group offered protection, and company. And though he convinced himself that he didn't need to be near a bunch of stinking humans anyway…it was still disturbingly lonely in his room.

And earth hot…he missed the cold of space. He practically had to go around naked just to keep himself from dying of heat…

Not to mention he wanted to be closer, should his new master ever need him.

That was the way with mindbreakers. He loved and hated his new master. Hated her for controlling him, for keeping him from doing what he felt…he'd always been rather impulsive, and he had a flash temper that the rest of the group already knew to watch out for. The fact that he had to wait for approval before he could act was incessantly annoying to him. But his master hated humanity. And Lafayel liked her for that. That she wanted vengeance as much as he did, that she could think the same way if someone wronged her…

…But he still hated being controlled.

His stomach twisted even more painfully. What little body fat he had was probably already being found and taken to keep his body functioning… He was uneasy at the thought.

He had to eat…but he had a pride almost worse than his temper, and he was stubborn as a mule to boot. Even if he was wrong, he insisted on principal that he was right. All in all, his personality was volatile, vengeful, and bloodthirsty…

But he needed someone to help him.

He would never admit it…but he needed something to force him to eat, to keep himself from starving. And he didn't have a single friend who would do it. It all depended on his pride breaking down, and his master taking control eventually, but by then he might have permanent or long lasting damage to his form, and who knew what danger this was to him…

All because of pride.

Lafayel's eyes stared contemptuously down at the city. Ignoring this. He knew it, but he was too proud, too spiteful to take it to heart. Too arrogant to heed the warnings of his own body or perhaps the more cautious areas of his mind that were less tainted by sheer bitterness. Warm breeze making his weather-inappropriate scarf flutter behind him like the tail of a comet (he kept it to filter thought some of the larger toxins he might be breathing in the air when he was flying, he'd nearly swallowed a bug before).

He hated this place.

He turned his head up to the heavens. And for the briefest second a touch of relief shaded his normally sharp features. He stretched out his wings, glistening feathers fanning around him.

As long as they stayed there, there was hope of returning…As long as the eraser army remained, they might call him back…he could hope…

He snorted.

Hope…since when did he bother to HOPE!

A pigeon landed next to him. It cocked his head as though to ask if he was edible or something it could peck at.

"Go away." The eraser snapped, his already short temper dangerously thin with the strain of his hunger. The pigeon stared stupidly at the slight figure with it's large back wings furled at it's shoulders. It stared, unblinking and unmoving.

"I said GO!" Lafayel snapped again, wings flaring threateningly. The pigeon fluttered it's wings a short distance, then waddled right back around, walking right back to him, still not understanding what this person with the black wings was….

Lafayel's rage flashed to the surface, fueled by his hunger, his thirst, the dull throbbing headache from the chemicals in the air. Feathers that were sharp as blades flashed through the air.

The bird was nearly cut in two vertically. It's stupid expression stayed the same, glassy eyes fixed upon Lafayel, wings raised and trembling in rage as the pigeon tried to flap, pathetically, cooing in a stricken manner.

The eraser lunged.

Lafayel tore into the bird eagerly, nails like some great mythical hunting bird's clawed talons tearing the bird's frail feathered body to pieces in a matter of seconds.

The stench of the blood was making him dazed with hunger.

In his eagerness, he spilled the contents of the bisected stomach. His nose wrinkled, he reeled, jerking back, pulling his scarf up to cover his nose and mouth, eyes watering.

And he had thought that _humans_ smelled bad…

He eyed it cautiously from a distance, his nostrils quivering beneath the covering of his scarf. Rage flared in him as he realized that the half digested pulp was mostly bread crumbs…Bread that was grown by humans…filled with their _chemicals…_their_ filth_!

That bird was hardly a meal. It was a toxic waste plant! He scornfully wiped the blood off his hands with the dead pigeon's feathers, pulling down his scarf again with a scowl. 'disgusting creature!'

There was a skittering noise behind him. Lafayel whirled around, ready to strike. He noticed who it was and hissed. Stupid human coming here with his fancy teleportation…

He didn't want, or need him here now! He had been one of the ones who hadn't laughed…him and Kuga and his master herself…but that annoying smirk of his never ceased to annoy him!

"Bugger off!" He shouted. Mizunagi placed his hands on his hips, in mock indignance. "Now really, if you're going to swear, at least do it right. You sound like a damned brit." He commented, insulting him good naturedly.

Lafayel hissed again, his feathers fluffing to maximum size, making him look a few times larger than usual. "_Azrael take you!_" He spoke lividly.

Mizunagi blinked, unimpressed. He sat down right next to Lafayel, carrying a paper bag. "It's 'go to Hell' you moron."

"how _dare_ you…if Master were not holding me back-" Mizunagi shrugged, smirking. "You'd kill me. Yeah. She likes me in one piece. I makes me so much easier to control…" He shrugged while Lafayel tried to will him with a single glare to jump off the building.

Mizunagi didn't move. Lafayel grumbled to himself and considered throwing a brick at one of the cars passing by to relieve some of his irritation.

The psychic walked closer to Lafayel with a brown paper sack. He paused, eyeing the bloody remains of the pigeon with an air of diffused interest, as though it was a mildly interesting conversation. "I see you made a friend." Mizunagi commented lightly, gesturing over to the bloody mutilated wreak that had once been a pigeon.

Lafayel's expression contorted into a contemptuous snarl. "Filthy beast, eating human scraps and sharing in their disgusting ruin…" He muttered haughtily to himself, just loud enough to let Mizunagi hear the insults about his kind.

Mizunagi shrugged. There was silence for a moment before he nonchalantly conversed, "I thought you'd be here…what's got you so pissed off, anyway? PMS?"

Lafayel stared angrily at Mizunagi. If he had known what PMS was, he probably would have exploded or tried to bite off the human's head.

As it was he spoke in clipped, aggravated speech. "Do not try to feign innocence! Those fools were mocking me! You saw them yourself!" Mizunagi sighed, smiling bemusedly "Because they've never met a guy who can't use a pair of chopsticks without nearly killing someone…most humans would run for their lives seeing you that pissed, but they're just morons, so they think it's a fun time to start laughing." Mizunagi shrugged, pulling out a cigarette. "Then again, It would probably help if you weren't so high strung to begin with, bird-brain." Lafayel's eyes flashed dangerously as Mizunagi lit his cigarette.

"_put that out this instant!_" He snapped. His throat tightened just being close to the burning tobacco. Mizunagi raised an eyebrow. "Whaaaat?" He drawled out. "First you get mad about Ama-Inu giggling at you, now a guy can't have a decent smoke?"

"You are soiling my air! You air is filthy enough already, and now you wish to add to it?" Mizunagi raised an eyebrow, looking positively amused. "_Your_ air?" Lafayel put his face close to Mizunagi glaring. "_Yes_ insolent vermin, _MY_ air. PUT. THAT. OUT!" Mizunagi's eyes narrowed, Lafayel momentarily congratulated himself on aggravating the human, without that disgusting smirk of his, he didn't make Lafayel quite so annoyed…

Mizunagi rather ruined Lafayel's internal bit of pride by rolling his eyes and sighing as though Lafayel were doing something stupid. "Let me show you a trick." He blew a smoke ring into Lafayel's face.

Lafayel recoiled, screeching. Mizunagi smirked. "See? Not so…" He trailed off. Lafayel's face was ashen. He suddenly looked quite ill, he pulled further away, coughing. His wings hunched around him defensively. He couldn't breathe!

Mizunagi's eyes widened a fraction. "Oh alright!" He muttered exasperatedly, crushing the cigarette under his foot. He plainly hadn't expected such a reaction.

Lafayel breathed heavily for a few moments, coughing anew a few more times. He did not look well.

Mizunagi's expression bore traces of concern. "You weren't kidding…"he muttered. He made to touch Lafayel's shoulder.

The eraser slapped his hand away. Lafayel's eyes were slits of rage. "I do _not_ joke! You did that on purpose! You make me sick!"

Mizunagi's lips curved into a grim smile. "So it seems."

Lafayel glowered and glared steadily off in another direction, still struggling to breathe normally. He bared his teeth, growling to himself. 'idiot human! He did that on purpose!'

Finally the ragged sound of his gasps faded back a bit. Mizunagi was quiet. Almost guilty. Lafayel glared at him, then pointedly turned his shoulders so he didn't look at him. "Who invited _you_ here?" Lafayel demanded irritably when the human still didn't take the hint and leave. Mizunagi shrugged. "Huh, didn't know it was _your _roof. What? Are you against some friendly company?"

"You are hardly friendly" Lafayel replied coldly.

Mizunagi shrugged "Fair enough. I came to get away from Kasei and Ama-Inu. Kasei doesn't do anything but play chess, and I've already owned his ass so many times, it's not a challenge anymore. And Ama-Inu would just as soon eat a piece as look at it. So I came to go get some fresh air-"

"And fill it with even MORE toxins." Lafayel interrupted caustically.

Mizunagi sighed "I suppose that's fair too…It's an addiction. Nothing much I can do about it. Master could stop it for me, but then where would all the fun be?" He smirked. Lafayel merely looked at him, brooding, angry. He turned away, looking over the city again.

There was no talk between them for a long moment.

Mizunagi shifted into a more comfortable position, resting a hand on his knee. "Hey…I haven't seen you eating much…what's the deal? You trying to kill yourself by starving to death, or are you just anorexic and weight obsessed so you can fit into those tiny outfits of yours? "

Lafayel's eyes narrowed further. His head snapped back to glare at Mizunagi anew. "Death is for the weak, ignorant fool. The strong survive, the weak deserve not to. I am NOT weak. And if _your_ planet wasn't so _warm_ I wouldn't HAVE to wear these 'tiny outfits'"

Mizunagi rolled his eyes, and grinned, "Didn't say I didn't like the outfits…" Lafayel glared more venomously yet, one eye narrowing more than the other, crossing his arms.

Mizunagi shrugged, smirking "I was joking. Fine, Darwin, but you didn't tell me anything but meaningless philosophy and a whining explanation of your fashion sense. Death is random. The strong can die just because they're too thick headed and choke on a cherry pit at the wrong time. Now, if you'd be so kind as to cut the superiority crap, tell me, _why_ haven't you been eating. I assume you need to."

Lafayel locked him with an icy gaze, his voice dripped with contempt. "Do you think I'm some pretty little human with a set of bird's wings glued to me? You know nothing about me!"

Mizunagi fixed him with a bland look. "I know that most things need to eat something. I don't think you're a plant. You don't just spontaneously generate energy."

Lafayel laughed. A cold, almost cackling sound that was designed to chill. "Your ignorance is almost amusing." He said haughtily. Mizunagi's eyes widened just the faintest bit. He seemed to be at a loss for words for a brief instant, questioning to himself, could an eraser generate it's own food?

Lafayel gave him a superior look that would have succeeded had his stomach not chosen to growl loudly at that moment.

Mizunagi's face crept from stunned to a catlike grin.

Lafayel's face still stubbornly bore the high, arrogant expression, but now it seemed almost pasted on. Mizunagi grinned wider at the look of self hatred Lafayel's face showed for just an instant.

"Come on Lafayel, Kuga's not the best cook in the world, but you've got to eat." Lafayel turned his head in a huff. "I am _not_ putting those disgusting _chemicals_ into my body!" Mizunagi grinned. "I should have figured…" He laughed suddenly. "You're hungry?"

Lafayel hissed again. "You stupid bastard, do you have any idea how fast my metabolism is? I'm _starving_!" His face warped into a look of pained hunger. Mizunagi blinked. When Lafayel looked so…well…pitiful… he felt rather sorry for the eraser. "And you won't eat anything?"

Lafayel wrinkled his nose. "Even your _water_ is filled with filth and chemicals! I would sooner eat the soil itself if you hadn't corrupted that as well!" Mizunagi sighed "So then what? You go off and starve? Come on Lafayel, you can't be stupid…pride's not worth this."

Lafayel actually shrugged, his back to him. "It's disgusting."

Mizunagi rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Ooookay then. That's too bad…Oh well. I tried. You can starve, Mr. Bitterness. Go right ahead." He began digging around in the sack.

Lafayel's neck craned the slightest bit, with an air of fake disinterest that wasn't fooling anyone. He wanted to know what was in that bag…arrogant as he was, he had an insatiable curiosity as well...

Mizunagi noticed his audience, but pretended to ignore it.

He withdrew something. It seemed to be a fruit…it was a faded sort of red, and had a few splotches of golden color where its color seemed to have worn bare.

It wasn't round…it was a strange curvy shape, and the smell…

Lafayel felt his stomach growl long and hard and hungry…

Could the human _smell_ that?

Probably not, the human senses were laughably dull. Lafayel so detested walking around in such a low and disgusting form as that of humanity. He felt stunted, and strangely vulnerable on the ground without his wings, and as a human things seemed to be able to sneak up on him…so no…he couldn't possibly smell what that thing was…he probably didn't know what he held up…

Or did he?

'It would be just like him to try to humiliate me like this!'

It was sweet…incredibly sweet, a potent brew of sugary juices held back by only a thin skin, allowing such a marvelous odor to come to him…

It was a scent that was driving Lafayel mad with hunger…bloodthirsty as he usually was, he probably wouldn't have wanted anything more than a nice raw steak in exchange for that fruit with it's glorious scent. Those sugars would do wonders for his system…

Mizunagi tossed it from hand to hand, glancing at Lafayel to catch his reaction.

Lafayel's eyes never left it. His body was rigid, his face set into a snarl, but his eyes were locked on the fruit in a desperate hunger, a lust for the food.

Mizunagi smirked. "You want one?" He asked mock-sweetly.

Lafayel turned his head arrogantly, too proud to ask for food, even as he wanted it so badly. "that thing is filled with toxins...it's a product of you idiot humans, I wouldn't be surprised if it kills you." Mizunagi smirked wider. 'heh! Well aren't we suffering from sour grapes…' He thought to himself amusedly.

He had him now… poor Lafayel if he'd only just asked for the fruit before, now he was going to look like an idiot…

"Still…it looks delicious…Oh dear…I don't think I can control myself…it looks good, and I'm soooo hungry." He bit into it.

Lafayel jumped at the crunch it made. The scent exploded into the air, making him reel. Mizunagi saw the expression of dazed hunger that flashed over Lafayel's face, his eyes didn't leave the fruit. "Mmmmmm…" Mizunagi said, grinning. "Gooood."

Lafayel tried to turn his head away, but couldn't, he was still driven by his need to eat, and there was food…RIGHT IN HIS GRASP!

"It's a shame you're not hungry enough to eat. I might have to throw out the rest of these, I don't think I can eat them all, and you sure don't want any of them…they're filled with TOXINS…remember?" Mizunagi gave him and evil grin and prepared to take another bite.

That was the last straw! 'How DARE he mock me! I'll show him! I'll eat it! Even if it _is_ filled with toxins!'

Lafayel's hands were a blur as he snatched the fruit from Mizunagi's hands, his nails dragging a long scratch over the human's hand in his desperation. Quick as a flash, he sank his teeth into it, ripping away a giant chunk of his own, uncaring that Mizunagi had been eating the fruit before, and that the human's mouth had been filled with smoke and who knew what else.

Lafayel choked.

He hadn't expected the sheer flavor of the fruit, it nearly knocked him flat.

It was so sweet it was almost disgusting! He gagged. It was _too_ sweet! His eyes watered, overwhelmed by the strength of the odor and the flavor…

But it was juicy…and he was hungry and _thirsty_, and that sickeningly sweet flavor was quenching his unbearable bodily callings…and he could _barely_ taste the chemicals in it anyway…

So he bit again, and again, and again, and AGAIN. Barely stopping to chew…

He stopped suddenly, a chunk of fruit in his teeth, suddenly aware that Mizunagi was laughing uproariously. Lafayel growled around the mouthful of fruit. Mizunagi waved a hand dismissively, still chuckling. He thrust the paper bag at the ravenously hungry eraser. "Oh, here, there's a whole bag full of apples, help yourself…God, I've never seen anyone eat like that before…" He looked like he was having a great laugh at the eraser's expense.

Lafayel was reminded by his stomach that he could glare while he was chewing. He bit again. A seed snapped under the force of his teeth. He kept devouring the fruit, finally chewing on the stem and swallowing it still mostly intact. His stomach growled loudly. As satisfying as that had been, he needed MORE. Mizunagi raised an eyebrow as Lafayel rummaged through the sack, his claw-like nails ripping long scores into the side of the bag as he started on his second fruit. His expression frenzied.

"You know, most people don't eat the core and the stem of an apple…" Lafayel glared at him while he ate. His body was adapting to the strong flavor. Once he got past the gut wrenching sweetness, it actually had quite a nice flavor…this…apple. It wasn't a bad food…

Mizunagi shrugged bemusedly, unworried by Lafayel's anger.

Lafayel was still amazed by the flavor of the apple. It was actually good! It was something good that humans could grow! He was sure there were chemicals all over it and through it, but he was still so hungry that he didn't care!

Well…not much anyway.

Mizunagi lazily took a bite out of his own fresh apple. Lafayel demolished his second apple, eating it all, stem, core, seeds, everything. He rather liked the cores, they were almost sour in comparison. It was rather more to his liking, and the sweetness wasn't so overwhelming of the flavor of the fruit there.

He grabbed a third apple. Mizunagi eyed him. "How long has it been since you've eaten?" Lafayel growled. "Three days." Between bites.

Mizunagi whistled, impressed. "That explains a lot. What with you going on about having a fast metabolism and all" Lafayel ignored him, chomping large bites out of his apple with the ferocity of a predator tearing chunks of meat.

Mizunagi shrugged. "I don't suppose water's been working out well for you either if you're so sensitive about chemicals and all…" he mumbled to himself, looking up in the sky, accompanied by sounds of the vicious slaughter of apples. "No." Lafayel replied in clipped annoyance.

Mizunagi grinned. Lafayel obviously wasn't going to be exactly social while he was busy eating. He busied himself watching the sky in the mean time, waiting for the eraser to at least slow down. After a few more apples, Lafayel's crunching slowed down, to the point where he became a good deal less noisy in his consuming of the fruit. "Hmm… first star." Mizunagi said quietly, smiling to himself.

Lafayel's head snapped up to look. He made a sound like a snort amidst his loud crunching. "That's not a star you nincompoop." Mizunagi grinned "It's the brightest. The morning star." Lafayel gave him a look of withering scorn. "It's not even morning, and I told you, that is _not_ a star!" Mizunagi smiled nonetheless.

Lafayel chewed moodily "It is a planet, the closest to your own. Covered by clouds. Its surface is hot, volcanic. Its clouds pour down a rain of acid that would peel the flesh from your bones in minutes. It's atmosphere has not an ounce of breathable oxygen. It is even more inhospitable than _your_ pathetic rock." Mizunagi grinned "Venus."

"And you insist on naming it" Lafayel snorted "Like a pet DOG…Humans."

Mizunagi rolled his eyes "It's been called that for decades, if not centuries. It's named for the goddess of love in ancient Rome." Lafayel's eyebrows raised in a haughty sort of incredulous expression, his mouth twitched. If he had been a less disagreeable sort he would have probably broken into a smile, but the most his bitter mouth could do was smirk. "You named a planet with rains of burning acid, and a volcanic surface for a superior being who controls love?" He snorted even louder. "Savages. Your gods have not prevented your wars, how can you possibly believe in such idiocy…?" Mizunagi shrugged, still looking up at the bright spot in the sky "They're mythological. Good for stories. But I don't know of anyone who actually worships them anymore…"

Lafayel gave a bitter, mocking smile through his crunching. "You name a planet that would mean your death, filled with more toxins than your own planet, after a creature who promotes love…" He repeated, then shook his head, snorting contemptibly. Wicked amusement flashed in his eyes. "Why should I even be surprised by the stupidity and ignorance of your race?" He muttered as he took another bite.

He was no longer gulping the food with the same speed. He was still eating fast, but more out of a desire to be done, than any real starvation. "Do you want an answer or is this a rhetorical question?" Asked Mizunagi, still amused by Lafayel's eating habits. He had all the manners of a starving wolf.

"Shut up!"

Mizunagi grinned. "You know, if you weren't continually being caustic and nasty, you'd actually be kinda cute. You could get yourself a girl and maybe chill out a bit, become a little less high strung and such." Lafayel's eye twitched. "I have no desire to, as you put it, 'get myself a girl'. Idiot humans. You all think with your sexual organs or your stomachs." Mizunagi smiled amusedly "_Now_ who's assuming he knows things about _my_ race?"

Lafayel glared at him "I have lived all my life above your planet learning the best ways to kill your kind. I know more about your race than you could possibly imagine." Mizunagi chuckled and took a bite out of his apple. "So… you would know about us thinking with our unmentionables firsthand, then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Lafayel's eyes widened, and his cheeks suddenly turned deep scarlet. All rage left his expression, filling it instead with utter shock. Mizunagi nearly broke into a fit of laughter just seeing the wide eyed expression on the eraser's face 'go figure, he's so nasty, but still so gullible…' Mizunagi thought to himself. "No!" Lafayel finally snapped, his voice cracking in a sort of horrified, and utterly disgusted whisper. The glare he gave Mizunagi as payment for catching him so off-guard as to embarrass him, was one of pure hatred. Mizunagi shrugged, still fighting down his urge to laugh, the irritating smirk on his face remained. "Heh, sorry…couldn't tell what with how you're dressed…."

"How I am DRESSED has nothing to do with it!" Lafayel shouted angrily. "You are without a doubt the most idiotic and depraved human I have ever encountered!"

"Does that include the ones you killed?" Mizunagi asked coolly. Lafayel stopped, mouthing soundlessly. His eyes blazed in anger. His black gloved hands clenched into fists. "OH! If master wasn't holding me back I would strangle you to the brink of death, bring you back, and make you regret this life!" Mizunagi sighed "Yeah, I'm sure you would."

Lafayel's patience snapped, he raised a hand to strike Mizunagi, wings flaring out in an attempt at threat. Mizunagi grabbed his slender wrist easily, stopping him before the blow landed. Lafayel struggled, screeching. Mizunagi bent his arm back at an awkward angle. Lafayel gave a cry of pain and struggled less. "that hurts!" He exclaimed clippedly, angrily struggling against Mizunagi's grip. "Sorry" Mizunagi replied a bit more pleasantly "But if I let you go, I get the feeling it won't exactly be a big basket of roses for me either. Calm down and I'll let you go." His face didn't show it, but it was getting difficult to hold onto Lafayel's arm when it was covered in surprisingly slippery black fabric.

"Let go you beast!" Lafayel demanded, struggling harder when Mizunagi eased his twisting of the eraser's arm. "I said I'd let go when you calm down." Mizunagi said a little more tersely, He raised his other hand to defend himself as Lafayel's wings began to hit his head in attack. "LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!" Lafayel shouted. Mizunagi complied, raising his arms to defend himself from Lafayel's struggles and attacking wings. Lafayel massaged his wrist, glaring.

Mizunagi lowered his hands, looking at him strangely. Lafayel was still massaging his arm, and glaring as though by sheer power of eyeballs he could make Mizunagi jump off the building. His cut off sleeve was now rumpled into a sort of ball near his elbow, and his wings were trembling in what seemed to e barely controlled rage.

Mizunagi bent down, and picked up Lafayel's half eaten apple off the ground. "You alright?" He asked Lafayel quietly. "I really wasn't trying to hurt you." Lafayel's eyebrows crinkled slightly, suspiciously. "You could have broken my wrist you imbecile." He spat back. Mizunagi looked at him with some unreadable expression. "Did I?" He asked. Lafayel grumbled, hand still on his wrist. "No." He growled out. Mizunagi nodded rather smugly, he wiped off the apple. "Good. …Oh look. You bruised it." Lafayel blinked, in some alarm "My wrist?" There was almost no malice in the question, he had obviously been taken by surprise, which was what made it so civil. Mizunagi smiled to himself 'if you catch him off guard he could probably be pretty nice…' he thought. "The apple. You must have dropped it, idiot."

Lafayel's eyes narrowed again, suddenly as caustic and rude as ever. "Don't you dare call me an idiot." He growled. He cocked his head, eyeing the half eaten fruit in Mizunagi's hand. I _bruised_ a fruit? Hmph. Idiot humans, making all things on their planet just like themselves. I _damaged_ it. A fruit doesn't have the brains to be hurt or bruised. I could crush it to fragments and it wouldn't know the difference."

Mizunagi held it out, and tested his fingertips against the bruised spot. "Feel it." Lafayel gave him a purely loathing look , but touched the fruit as though to humor him. He blinked suddenly. Then his eyes narrowed again "This flat part here, is a _bruise_? Fools. That's no bruise, that's just damaged fruit." Mizunagi shrugged, and slipped the half eaten apple into Lafayel's hands. He eyes it distastefully. "It's turning brown" Mizunagi grinned as he leaned back, sticking his hands behind his head. "Yeah. It does that if you don't finish it fast enough. It won't hurt you to eat it when it's like that or anything, it's just the fruit dying…or something. It has something to do with the air—and nothing to do with toxins, Lafayel."

Lafayel closed his mouth, silencing the reply he was just about to give, and frowned. "I should have known." He muttered, sitting on his heels and staring at the fruit. Mizunagi opened his eyes and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Known what?" Lafayel glanced at him and resumed his haughty tone "That even if you humans were to create something GOOD on this stupid planet, that it would screw up so easily." Mizunagi smirked and shut his eyes again.

It was getting darker now and more stars were appearing. "You have to admit though…the sunset's nice. That's one thing we can't ruin. And you can see so much of the city from up here…all those normal people just walking around, they don't have to worry about war, or dying, or where their family and friends are, or even stepping out onto that street. All they're thinking about is what they'll eat for dinner, or what's on TV, or if they can get their homework done…stupid things…mundane things…it must be so nice…"Mizunagi said quietly, eyes still closed. Lafayel gave another dismissive noise. "Sentimental." It sounded like an accusation coming from him.

Mizunagi opened his eyes, smirking. "Come on Lafayel, you have to admit, it would be nice if we didn't have to worry about anything, just like them…" Lafayel gave him another scornful look "I'm an eraser you lack-wit. No matter how sentimental or sappy I get, there is no way for me to just magically become one of your so called 'normal' humans. I have this power to kill, and that's it." He glared at Mizunagi. Mizunagi looked at him "Yeah…well…like you said, I don't know much about you…but you've gotta have a family or some friends or something up there with the other erasers, right?" Lafayel's back tensed, his wings hunching down broodingly. "No." He spat out. Mizunagi sighed "Oh come on, you can't really mean that you don't have-"

"Yes I can!" Lafayel snapped, turning to face him. "Just because YOU have your _precious_ family, and your stupid **friends** doesn't mean that I have to! I have this power, I have this training to kill humans, I have this god forsaken planet to rot on forever, while the rest of my kind sits right up there where I can see them! _That's_ what I have." He jabbed a sharp nailed hand up at the sky. Mizunagi looked at him pityingly. "I'm sorry." Lafayel ground his teeth "Stop that! Stop looking at me like that!" Mizunagi shrugged "Like what?"

Lafayel gestured angrily "Like I'm some stupid beaten dog you find in the streets who bites you but follows you home when you feed it!" Mizunagi grinned slyly "How poetic of you." Lafayel glared more sharply, his white-blond hair turning orange in the sunset. His mouth twisted into an even harsher expression of raging bitterness. "Shut up!" He shouted, turning away and hunching down to rest his chin on his knees and glare at the streets below. "Well it explains your lack of social skills at least." Lafayel gave a strangled down scream of annoyance. "I said shut up!"

Mizunagi grinned, he pulled out an arm and lightly touched Lafayel's shoulder. The eraser jumped back, wings fluffing out threateningly behind him. His eye twitched again, He rubbed his shoulder as though to scrub himself clean. "Stop that!"

Mizunagi nodded sagely "And the skittishness to touch. Yep. You've got to be telling the truth." Lafayel glared "Why would I lie about that! It takes humanity to make such barefaced deceit. I'll tell you what I'm going to do now! If you touch me again, I will rip your arm from it's socket, and beat you to death with it, that honest enough for you!." Mizunagi smiled again "Done it before I imagine?" He queried lightly. Lafayel glared "Not yet, but I imagine that if I don't learn how to fast enough you will be the first one to know." He replied looking rather annoyed. Mizunagi chuckled. "You know, for you, that was actually a pretty good comment."

"Shut up."

Mizunagi eyed the moody eraser with lighthearted amusement. "You'd better eat that." He said, gesturing to the still half eaten apple in Lafayel's hands. Lafayel gave him a bored look, then a wicked expression crossed his face. "And don't you dare…"Mizunagi added, his brow furrowing suddenly.

Lafayel blinked, then glared "'Don't you dare' do what? And why do I have to listen to _you?_" Mizunagi rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about it Lafayel, I AM a psychic you know. And trust me, it's a bad idea" Lafayel glared at him, Glanced off the building, then caught sight of a pigeon sitting on the edge of the building about twelve feet away. He gave a soft hiss "I HATE those bloody birds." He muttered.

He raised his arm, and fired the apple—rather fast considering how small and slender his arms looked. The pigeon gave a startled cry that sounded like the birds idea of an 'eek!' and fell dazedly off the edge of the building. Mizunagi snorted, unable to contain his chuckles. "How on earth is that any better than throwing it at a passing car?" Lafayel glared. Mizunagi smirked irritatingly "Oh I can't exactly read your thoughts—though I'm sure whatever you're calling me now is very creative—I just saw your eyes looking for cars, and your arm kept tensing like you were going to throw it. I can sort of read your emotions a bit, but not your thoughts exactly." He said blandly. Lafayel's eyes narrowed. The pigeon awkwardly flew up and away, seemingly still rather sleepy. "I hate those things." Lafayel repeated angrily. Mizunagi snickered to himself "Oh come on, there are worse animals around."

"Yes, like humanity." Lafayel replied darkly. Mizunagi rolled his eyes. "Okay, you seem to have calmed down enough…You going to come back home now?" He asked. Lafayel blinked "home…" He repeated as though he was trying to connect what Mizunagi was talking about. "Yeah, back to where master, and Kuga, and Kasei, and Ama-Inu are. It's going to get a little chilly out here…" Lafayel gave a dark, brief laugh. "You worry about me?"

"Yeah. Sure I do…" Lafayel blinked, staring at him suspiciously. Mizunagi suddenly smirked again "I mean, you _do_ get yourself into loads more crap then the rest of us do. It would be the last thing I need for master to make me your babysitter just because you flew outside in the rain and got yourself a cold." Lafayel snorted. "Oh _wonderful._ _How_ _kind_ of you. I didn't _ask_ for you to worry about me. So you can just go back to master and entertain yourself without me to provoke and laugh at and anger." His eyes were narrowed to slits. His voice was mocking, and sneering. "Leave me alone, I'm better off that way anyway, without your prodding and poking and that DAMNED SMIRK!" Mizunagi shrugged, fighting the urge to laugh, picking up the paper bag. "Fine with me, just don't get yourself carded when you go clubbing or whatever you do. And if you get sick or something, remember you'll have to deal with a lot more of me and my 'damned smirk'." Mizunagi didn't seem really bothered by Lafayel's words or tone or anything, and he spoke matter-of-factly. But before he left, he reached into the sack, and pushed an apple into Lafayel's hands.

"Try not to screw yourself up this time, Hmm?" He grinned irritatingly at the eraser and ruffled his bobbed hair, making his eyes narrow in extreme dislike. He smirked in reply. "I'm going to kill you." Lafayel muttered, glaring down at the apple. "Well, we'll have to throw something off that bridge when we come to it." Mizunagi replied smirking because he knew it would irritate the eraser further. Lafayel glanced at him, then looked back down at the apple. His features seemed to soften slightly. The light of day had almost completely faded from the western horizon. "I'll come if I feel like it." Lafayel muttered after a long moment of silence. He looked like he had been forced to say it, glaring at the apple. Mizunagi suddenly stepped back close to him. Lafayel's black feathered wings tensed and he glared at him "What is it _now_?"

Mizunagi smirked, and reached over, fixing Lafayel's still rumpled sleeve with delicate and meticulous attention. Lafayel stared looking shocked and enraged "There."

"YOU!" Mizunagi began to laugh as Lafayel stood up, trying to be threatening—which was rather hard considering his slender build, and the fact that he was barely average height if that, and Mizunagi was rather tall. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH ME!" He screamed. Mizunagi grinned at him "Well, you're going to have to catch me if you want to really rip off my arm and beat me to death with it" Mizunagi was laughing now as he lightly dodged Lafayel's attempts grab and strangle him or rip his eyes out, or any of the other murderous options the eraser was muttering about. He gave a feral shout of annoyance at Mizunagi's comment however.

"You bastard! I'm going to murder you and feed your remains to the bloody pigeons!"

"Pigeon's won't eat meat, stupid" Mizunagi replied lightly, poking the eraser in the forehead to further annoy him. He vanished, leaving Lafayel to scream to himself and the receptive and curious pigeons many colorful obscenities about how he hated earth and humanity alike.

**-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-**

Heheheh…well, would you look at that…I seem to have given it a funny ending (Is pleasantly surprised with herself)

Okay, one last thing. I got the idea for his originally as something vaguely following the myth of Atlanta's apples. (For those who don't know the greek too well, Atlanta consecrated herself to be a virgin follower of the goddess Artemis, but her father demanded that she marry. So she devised the way to keep herself a virgin acceptably. She staged a footrace, and the suitor who won against her would marry her. Simple eh? Not really. Nobody could beat her…and well…if you didn't beat her, you kinda lost your head…literally—you were beheaded. So one guy prays to Aphrodite for help. Aphrodite answers and gives him three golden apples, and directs him to drop them one at a time over the race's course. He does so, and Atlanta—who I think must be A.D.D. or something—bends down and pauses to pick them up, and loses the race. She marries the bloke. Happy end. Etc.)

So yeah, basically I kept the 'apples' theme from the very start. (I REALLY like apples in case you haven't guessed, and oh cruel Florida climate doesn't let me grow them! Oh bummer!) I originally was going to make it shounan-ai (hey, why break with tradition huh?). It's a lot less shounan-ai-ish than Sex-ed was, which I'm quite relieved about to tell the truth. (I feel so bad for all the people who don't read that sort of stuff, because this whole fandom's fiction is so saturated with it) But still, the real reason is…um… the story just got too…I don't know…Lafayel-ish. (laughs)

He became just too nasty and caustic, and yet just so great, and seemingly IC (to me at least. I mean, I have so little to work with that he's bound to be somewhat OOC no matter what…unlike Tsukasa or Tomonori who I make believably OOC by choice), It just became so much like him that…well, I couldn't really think of a plausible way to do that to him (set him up with Mizunagi that is). And I wouldn't ruin the fic just to do something like that. I mean it turned out pretty nicely the way it is. Lafayel is definitely my favorite bad-guy next to a few select Yugi-oh characters…

Ah…now my only problem is deciding the genre to post it under…(and that can take a while…oh indecision's (holds head in hands))

But I did leave in just a few Greeky things (like the Venus discussion) and the title, because—admit it—it must have been interesting enough for you to drop in and read it. (giggles mischievously) I'm trying to work on making things non-cheesy and have interesting and creative concepts. And the title is certainly that, I think. (grin)

So…If you liked the fic, I would be happy to hear it. If you DIDN'T for whatever small or large or strange reason, please tell me! I think now in my uber-wisdom (aha…NOT!) that I might even appreciate that more than you liking it.

I hope to come before your attention in the future once more (bows)

(to all those who were expecting a parody, sorry! Not this time! You want a parody? Then you'd better check the next chapter of 'control' Heheh this doesn't have the same level of angstiness to it as that does. So no cigar. You got your funniness in the story itself already!)

Oh um…no guarantees, but I might make this a sort of 'two-shot' if the idea continues to grow on me, heck I might even make a whole array of one shots for Lafayel or Mizunagi or such. I like them quite a lot… I think If I get another idea I'll put it in a separate shot, but check the chapters here in the future, just in case. (ok?) (sweatdrop) I can get a little strange about my story setups.

If you review here, I have officially decided that I will reply on my Bio for all my one shots. So thank you very much if you so choose to waste your time(dubiously curtsies with her XXlarge Einstein T-shirt and nearly falls over and kills herself)

Taa Taa! I'm off to water my Jalepeños and Cayennes…


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